The invention relates to a bedroom pillow and the like, and particularly to the construction of a reversible pillow that seeks to enhance comfort based on the seasonality of sleeping conditions.
Sleep comfort is a field that continues to draw attention given the lack of sleep suffered by many people in today's society. Given the changes in temperature throughout the year in many geographic locations, a need exists to provide a pillow that suits these changes in temperature. Many people sweat during the night creating a less comfortable sleeping experience around their head and neck area. Conversely, the cooler temperatures during the year create a need for warm materials for more insulation. Prior attempts to provide pillows with different comfort characteristics include US published application 20070056108 A1 (Nikolopoulos) disclosing a face rest with gel fill that may be adjusted to a temperature to heat or cool a user's face. U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,266 A (Wertheimer) shows a pillow or cushion that has one section filled with sponge or foam rubber and a second section filled with down or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,267 A (Schuckman) shows a pillow that includes compartment filled with down feathers and a compartment filled with whole feathers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,048 A (Varaney) shows a pillow configuration that includes batt material and foam material contained within opposite sides thereof of a pillow. The batt material provides heat retention during cool weather. The other side can be employed during warm weather when a cooler side is needed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,866 A (Simmons et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,259 A (Simmons et al.) show a therapy pillow with a removable therapeutic gel pack. U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,088 A (Gueli) shows a cooling beach pillow that includes a layer of thermally conductive gel material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,330 A (Chuang) shows a multi-function pillow. U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,325 B1 (Garza) shows a facial fatigue reducing pillow construction that includes an upper portion of foam material and a lower batting filled portion. U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,235 B1 (Blackwell) shows a hot/cold pack therapeutic device that includes a thermally conductive material for facilitating heat transfer. U.S. design Pat. D517698 S (Savage) shows the ornamental design for a cold pillow. U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,469 A (Chapman) shows a thermoelectric pillow. US published application 20120186022 A1 (Navarro) shows a pillow that includes a polyurethane foam layer and a fiber layer. The pillow may include an optional layer of gel between the two surface layers.
However, in spite of the prior efforts, a truly seasonal pillow having reversible sides providing effective warming and cooling has not been provided. Thus, it can be seen that a pillow which aids in mitigating temperature changes and other associated comfort challenges is deserving of much consideration.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a reversible, seasonal pillow having an effective cooler side and a warmer side.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seasonal pillow having a combination of warming material on one side and a cooling gel layer on the reverse side to provide comfort for temperature changes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seasonal pillow having a cool side with a contoured gel layer which circulates the gel when a person moves on the pillow to increase a cooling effect
Another object of the invention is to provide a seasonal pillow having a cool side and a warm side surrounded by a cover having indicia indicating the warm and cool sides.